ABBA and Iggy Pop: Together at Last

I love the fact that my blog can play a central role in the discussion of minute portions of the Star Wars saga. What was the efficiency of keeping Luke warm in a Taunton carcass? More importantly, how could a Taunton, which obviously had evolved to the point to survive the cruel Hoth winters, succumb so easily to the cold? How did Han know how to use a lightsaber? And why did they let Luke join the raid on the Death Star when he had never flown an X Wing in his entire life? We need answers Mr. Lucas and we need them now.

In memory of the passing of Oral Roberts and in honor of his greatest protégé MC 900 Foot Jesus I thought that it would be fitting to take a look at this year’s class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And once again, the Monkees were robbed.

ABBA: I’m not an ABBA fan. I started becoming aware of a world beyond Sesame Street right as the Disco Sucks movement came into play and no one was more hated than ABBA. Even more so than the Bee Gees and people despised the Bee Gees where I lived. Even as I grew older I never got a taste for their music. Couldn’t figure out why it was popular or so revered. In his latest book Chuck Klosterman gives the following explanation that makes as much sense as any: ABBA is popular because no other band could possibly sound like ABBA.

(Eating the Dinosaur is a good read for people who want essays on ABBA as well as the career of Ralph Sampson. Honestly, reading Klosterman is like reading my blog except better written and with more references to North Dakota.)

Can you imagine an ABBA cover band or a group that completely mirrors themselves on their style? I mean, Whitesnake was essentially a Led Zeppelin cover band and every band in 1995 was trying to be either Nirvana or Pearl Jam but no one has tried to replicate ABBA. I don’t even think it is possible. The sheer fact that Mamma Mia is a hit musical and movie, that people smile when they think of ABBA, makes them a good fit for the hall. Sometimes happiness outlasts art.

Genesis: I am a little torn on this one. You start with the Peter Gabriel era, which is art rock and not very listenable and that segues into the first few Phil Collins albums that were just amazing. Then things kind of filter out (right as I became a fan, surprising enough) to the point that it would be very embarrassing to admit owning any Genesis CDs. I guess my biggest question on this one is does anyone really think that the band Genesis is so monumental that they need to be honored? Peter Gabriel should be in the hall without a doubt. You can make a case for Phil Collins, not a great one but a case. I’m just not sure about the band.

Jimmy Cliff: I’ll have to show a little bit of my ignorance here as I am not sure if I can recall offhand ever hearing a Jimmy Cliff song. I know I must have but there is not one that I can just have leap into my mind. Jimmy Cliff is the man that brought reggae into the mainstream before Marley, before anyone. Don’t think that anyone will question his inclusion at all.

The Hollies: I have a recording of Jeff Buckley playing at a coffee house talking about how awesome the Hollies were. If they were good enough for Jeff they are good enough for me.

The Stooges: I have two words for you: fuck and yeah! I mean, I hate the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is based on the idea that the 60’s were awesome and that music peaked when the Rolling Stones first played. Look at who is inducted and who isn’t and you can completely see how there is no critical merit for any of the selections. Yes, Van Halen deserved to be in but how do you put them in before Iggy Pop and the Stooges? They pretty much founded punk rock.

You cannot underestimate the importance of punk rock. I didn’t understand it as a kid and will admit that the piercings and spiked hair scared the hell out of me. But it was a rebellion by one generation against the lies of another. It was rising against the claims that the sixties were all about peace and love. The sixties were about race riots and Altamont. Punk rock was and still is about saying screw you this is what life is really like. That is Iggy Pop. You can’t have rock and roll without Iggy it is as simple as that.